As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users are information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes, thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems, e.g., computer, personal computer workstation, portable computer, computer server, print server, network router, network hub, network switch, storage area network disk array, RAID disk system and telecommunications switch.
Information handling system electronic modules require regulated direct current (DC) voltages generally supplied from switching regulators. A general switching regulator comprises control and DC-to-DC converter circuitries, and more particularly, the main circuitry of a DC-to-DC converter comprises an inductor, a capacitor, a control switch and a synchronous rectification switch. These power controlling switches may be power field effect transistors. A switching regulator controller controls turn-on and turn-off of the control and synchronous rectification switches so as to maintain a substantially constant voltage at the output of the DC-to-DC converter. The switching regulator controller may use measured output voltage and measured current supplied by the DC-to-DC converter for determining proper operation thereof. The output voltage and current may be measured with voltage and current sensors. Output voltage may easily be measured with analog voltage circuits, e.g., a simple voltage divider and also an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The output current measurement is more problematic since any series resistance in the current path of the inductor will degrade conversion efficiency of the DC-to-DC converter. A better way of measuring current supplied by the DC-to-DC converter, e.g., current through the switching inductor, is to measure a voltage developed across the inductor's inherent DC resistance (DCR). This may be accomplished with a resistor-capacitor (RC) current detection circuit in parallel with the DC-to-DC converter inductor. A typical parallel RC current detection circuit used for determining current in a switching regulator inductor is more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,469,481 to Tateishi, and is incorporated by reference herein for all purposes.